Here is tha actual article about the phone scam.

Rich

Reprinted from Internet ScamBusters Issue #34
September 16, 1999

We recently discovered that an issue of Internet ScamBusters - written in
1996 - has resurfaced and is being sent around the Net as spam. This email
is about the 809 area code scam, and the "revised" version contains some
important mistakes. It is being sent around as if it comes from Internet
ScamBusters.

In this issue, we'll correct the mistakes and give you an update on how this
scam has changed - and not changed - in the past three years.

We thought this is important for you for two reasons. First, the 809 scam is
still thriving, so it's still important to protect yourself. Second, this
kind of problem - where an email or e-zine you write is changed and then
sent around as spam with you as the supposed author - could happen to you as
well, and we'll present some ideas about what to do if this does happen to
you.

If you're wondering how we found out about this problem, we discovered it in
two ways. First, we simply received a copy of one of the emails from a
customer. Second, we visit http://www.deja.com every couple of weeks to see
what is being said about us and Internet ScamBusters in the newsgroups. We
discovered that there has been a lively thread about this topic in the
alt.folklore.urban newsgroup. It has also been discussed in the
rec.arts.sf.fandom, alt.books.david-weber, rec.autos.makers.jeep+willys, and
several other newsgroups.

Before we get to the mistakes and changes people made to our issue of
Internet ScamBusters, here is a brief review of the 809 scam:

The "809" scam has many permutations but they all involve a message to you
(either by email, phone or pager) that you immediately call or fax a number
in the "809" area code or some other area code in the Caribbean. Examples of
why you should call or fax the phone number include avoiding litigation,
receiving information about someone who has been arrested or died, winning a
wonderful prize, or getting a job.

The "809" area code is in the Caribbean, yet most people are not aware that
they are making an international call when they dial the "809" area code,
since you simply dial 1-809-xxx-xxxx to make the call. No international
codes are required.

The problem comes from the fact that some phone numbers in the "809" area
code are "pay-per-call" numbers (such as 900 numbers in the US) - but there
are no legal requirements that callers be informed that they are being
charged extra in the Caribbean. When you return one of these "pay-per-call"
809 calls, the scamsters try to keep you on the phone as long as possible,
and you may be charged very high rates for the call, reportedly up to $25
per minute.

It is difficult to get credit for these charges if you do get scammed since
you did make the call, and resolving the problem involves getting credit
from international phone companies.

Since there are now many area codes in the Caribbean, this scam is no longer
confined to just the 809 area code.

You can see the original issues about the 809 scam at
http://www.scambusters.org/ScamBusters8.html and
http://www.scambusters.org/ScamBusters9.html

OK, enough introduction. Now let's look at the mistakes in the new emails
and posts about this topic:

Mistake: The beginning of the email says: "DO NOT EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809."

Comment: This is not our recommendation and we never wrote this. Most phone
numbers in the 809 area code are legitimate.

Mistake: "Please forward this entire issue of Internet ScamBusters! to all
your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam
so they don't get ripped off."

Comment: We never asked people to send the issue to everyone they know. This
type of request is typical of spam, which we are very against. (We have
asked subscribers to invite friends who would be interested to subscribe if
they like Internet ScamBusters, but that's VERY different from everyone you
know.) Please don't forward the bogus email message to anyone if you receive
it. Just hit the delete key.

Mistake: The 809 area code is new.

Comment: The 809 area code is not new, and we never stated it was. It has
been around for many years.

Mistake: Some spam versions of this email say that charges can be as high as
$10,000.

Comment: This, of course, is very unlikely. We suggest charges might be as
high as $100. $10,000 would mean the scamsters succeeded in keeping people
on the phone for many, many hours.

Mistake: The new emailed version also includes a mistake in our first issue,
which we corrected the second issue. We had mistakenly written: "The 809
area code is located in the British Virgin Islands (the Bahamas)."

Comment: Obviously, the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas are not the
same country.

Update on the 809 Scam

There are a number of changes that have occurred involving the 809 scam
since we wrote about this in Internet ScamBusters three years ago.

Area codes have changed in many of the countries. Now, 809 is just for the
Dominican Republic. For example, 242 is the area code for the Bahamas, 284
is for the British Virgin Islands, and 787 is for Puerto Rico. You can find
all the new area codes at http://www.lincmad.com/caribbean.html. Or you can
go to AT&T and look up any area code in the world.

You can also find area code maps of various regions in .pdf format at the
North American Numbering Plan Administration site.

We have not been able to verify if charges are still as high as $25 per
minute. It may be that the price today is significantly lower.

We spoke with Mr. Chavez at AT&T on September 12, 1999. He said that there
have not been any changes lately regarding Caribbean area codes or scams
that he is aware of. We have learned that AT&T did put out a bulletin that
this scam continues to thrive, but we have not been able to locate this
bulletin.

We'd also heard there are now new related scams using the prefixes 500 and
700. These prefixes can be used for adult entertainment and for pay per call
numbers. Some of these numbers are in the country Vanuatu. Mr. Chavez
confirmed this.

You can learn more about this scam at:

Better Business Bureau (1997)
National Fraud Information Center
What to Do if Your e-Zine or Email Gets Changed and Then Spammed

It's a difficult situation to correct if this does happen to you. Here are a
few things we are doing (or are about to do):

Place an announcement on our home page about the problem


Find all the newsgroups where the changed e-zine has been posted and reply
with a simple, short, individual post explaining the problem and providing a
link for more information


Respond to all individual copies of the email we receive by explaining the
problem and providing a link for more information


Send a clear, short email to any reporters who emailed us about the new
version


Write this issue of Internet ScamBusters ;-)
Finally, check out the issue of Internet ScamBusters on how to deal with
lies about your company at http://www.scambusters.org/Scambusters29.html for
additional tips.

If you have additional suggestions about how to handle this situation,
please email us at [log in to unmask] and we'll post the best
suggestions

----- Original Message -----
From: "Don McKinley" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2000 1:15 PM
Subject: Fw: phone scam


> > >
> > > Subject: FW: phone scam
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > [Gascho, Esther]  I received this notice and felt I should pass it on
to
> > > you.
> > >
> > > DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809 UNLESS YOU KNOW THE PARTY YOU ARE
> > > CALLING

Original message deleted for brevity.